LIVONIA, Mich., July 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- TRW Automotive Holdings Corp. (NYSE: TRW), the global leader in active and passive safety systems, today announced significant customer interest worldwide for its 24 GHz AC100 radar system and is currently working with a number of OEMs on development programs. The system offers a number of safety features including distance and collision warning, urban safety, follow to stop adaptive cruise control ("ACC") and activation of reversible restraint systems and braking (such as prefill of brakes, adaptive brake assist).
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Peter Lake, executive vice president, Sales and Business Development at TRW commented: "The AC100 system offers much of the functionality of our production 77 GHz system but at a significantly lower cost. Initially, radar based technology was only available on high end vehicles and at a significant cost to the end consumer. Developing a range of radar solutions enables us to bring the benefits of advanced safety to a wider vehicle market."
In line with the European Commission's targets to improve road safety, driver assist systems using radar technology represent an important market opportunity.
Lake continued: "With the proposal to mandate automatic emergency braking systems for medium and heavy commercial vehicles beginning in 2013, TRW's AC100 system is an ideal fitment choice in combination with a forward looking camera to meet future truck manufacturer requirements."
When operating as ACC, the 24 GHz system acts as normal cruise control - holding the vehicle at a set speed until a slower vehicle appears in front - then automatically brakes and accelerates the vehicle as needed to maintain a driver-selected gap (constant time interval) behind the slower vehicle. The information from the radar is analysed by electronics contained in the ACC unit.
Peter Austen, director of TRW's DAS business, said: "The AC100 product captures data up to a range of approximately 150m and is suitable for most normal driving conditions, including highway driving, at up to 140 kilometers per hour. Furthermore, radar technology operates in all weather conditions, unlike laser based systems that rely on a clear optical path."
TRW is also currently developing its third generation of 77GHz radar and manufactures its own radar units at a dedicated radar production facility based in Brest, France. The team there has developed the new radar in-house in cooperation with TRW braking engineers in the UK, Germany and the US. It currently supplies its second generation production 77GHz radar system to a number of passenger car and truck manufacturers.
